Traditional product development efforts are isolated programs that focus little effort on reusing products (e.g., hardware or software) that are developed elsewhere within a contracting company. Specifically, the situation often arises where an entity is required to reinvent (or redevelop or re-engineer) a previously developed product to tailor it for a different customer, different market, or different application. For example, consider the situation where a product is reinvented for a second customer, for example a software product originally developed for a first customer that was intended to be used with only one type of helicopter (or one helicopter Program Management Office), but where the reinvented product now performs essentially the same function as the earlier developed product but for a different use (e.g., a different type of helicopter or a different helicopter Program Management Office). Or consider the example of a product that was initially developed for a first customer that is reinvented or redeveloped with the capability to meet the needs of a plurality of different customers or different applications. In either event, the operation of reinventing or re-developing the product to meet the specific needs of one of more additional customers, or one or more additional applications, can be costly in terms of development, procurement, operation and support. In some instances if the entity had known in advance that a given product was highly likely to be used by multiple customers or in multiple applications, the better business decision, at least from a cost development standpoint for the product, may have been to initially design the product with the capability to accommodate the needs of different customers and/or to meet the needs of different applications. Such a decision would have eliminated the need to redevelop the product at a future time. However, it is often difficult or impossible for an entity to forecast the likelihood that a given product will be used by multiple customers or in multiple different applications. Thus, the entity is inclined to select the lowest initial cost approach for developing the initial product, even though such a decision may not turn out to be the most cost effective decision if the product needs to be redeveloped in the future to meet the needs of different customers or different applications.